A Special Night
by CarVie16
Summary: Evie has been feeling blue after her breakup with Doug, so Carlos takes her for a night out of the school to cheer her up. What starts out as a simple night between two friends - and Evie's attempt to teach Carlos the fine art of dating - turns into an evening full of contemplation about uncertain feelings. How will this night end?
1. A Good Friend

**This is just a simple Carvie story that I've wanted to write for years, but never got to because I was busy writing my Forever Wicked series (all the time was worth it, though). But now that I'm done with that series, I can go back to writing simpler stories, such as this one. My Carvie stories never get that much attention - and I understand very much why - but I still write them because, well... my pen name is CarVie16. ****Even now, I question why I still ship Evie and Carlos after three movies.**

**Anyways, enjoy.**

**Leave a review after reading, please. Feedback is always appreciated.**

**DISCLAIMER: I don't own Descendants.**

Friday afternoon at Auradon Prep. The final bell has rung and (most, if not all) the students are preparing to enjoy their weekend. Tailing behind the excited crowd of students is the Evil Queen's daughter herself, Evie. She's not exactly feeling hyperactive today, which is odd considering that she has been nothing but vivacious in an elegant manner since she has come to embrace Auradon as her new home. All day, she has tried to remain calm and smile as much as she can in order to prevent anyone from noticing her lack of Evie energy today.

As she puts her textbooks in her locker, she sees someone in her peripheral vision. The sight of this person forces her to hide her face behind her locker door. This person she doesn't want to see walks right by her, too caught up in a science textbook to even notice her. Evie looks over her shoulder at the person she didn't want to see.

It was Doug. Her boyfriend.

Ex-boyfriend, actually.

That is why Evie is not feeling so lively today. She and Doug have broken up. The breakup was a couple of weeks ago and Evie has not gotten over it. She and Doug have not talked since then. They don't study together anymore. It's not that they're on bad terms. They just needed time away from each other to make the breakup feel even more real.

"Evie," someone called.

Evie turns around and looks at the person who just called her name. It's just one of her closest friends, Carlos De Vil, the son of Cruella De Vil. Evie can't help but smile a little as she looks at her white-haired friend. It amazes her how much he has changed in the span of three months. He turned 15 a month ago and he certainly grew... a few inches. Before, he was barely the same height as Mal, yet he felt small compared to her (for obvious reasons). Now, he's right around Evie's height. To look more mature, Carlos combed his snow white hair sideways and everyone loved it, especially Evie.

"Are you okay?" Carlos asked, suspicious and concerned.

"Yeah," Evie lied. "Why wouldn't I be okay?"

"I saw Doug walk past you. You didn't even look at him," said Carlos.

Evie sighs and says, "We're still not talking, Carlos."

"Then don't talk to him if you don't want to," said Carlos. "I can tell you're not over the breakup..."

"Carlos, Doug didn't break up with me. _I_ broke up with him," Evie reminded. "He and I agreed to still be friends, but the two of us just need some space away from each other."

"I thought he made you happy," said Carlos.

"He did," Evie agreed. "But I just... I guess something inside me told me it wasn't meant to last."

"I know I shouldn't ask you to get over it, but it's been two weeks," said Carlos. "Why are you still hung up on this?"

"I guess I just miss having a boyfriend," said Evie. "To be in love, to spend time with someone you're in love with, it was wonderful. Ugh, sorry. I didn't mean to sound like a hopeless romantic. I shouldn't even be acting like this."

"No, that's okay. I'm not judging," Carlos assured. "Like you said, he made you really happy. I can't blame your for missing him."

"I just feel like I need to get away from it all for a while," said Evie. "I need to do something to get me out of my funk. Something I don't normally do."

"Like spending time together?" Carlos mumbled.

"What?" Evie asked, having heard his mumble.

"Uh... I-I-I w-wa-was... um," Carlos stuttered awkwardly. "N-Nothing."

"Carlos," Evie said with a scolding tone.

"Okay, I was thinking... maybe... if you want to do something else... maybe... maybe we can... hang out... t-t-tonight?" Carlos fumbled.

"You mean, like a date?" Evie teased.

"Uh... no, no, no!" Carlos panicked. He started to speed-talk nervously. "That is not what I meant. I meant, it's just... you, me, Mal, and Jay, the four of us have been too busy doing our own things for the past three months that we don't hang out as much as we did back on the Isle and..."

Evie giggled. Carlos stopped himself, confused as to why she was laughing.

"I'm just kidding," Evie laughed. "Sure, I'd love to hang out tonight."

"You... you would?" asked Carlos.

"You do have a point. The four of us, we've let school and our new hobbies get in the way of us spending time together," said Evie. "It's the weekend and I don't have much homework to do, not even a dress to make or a uniform to repair. I'll clear my schedule for tonight. Just for you."

"R-Really? Th-That's great," Carlos said happily. "But just to be clear, I wasn't asking you out on a date."

"I know," Evie laughed again.

"I mean, you're practically my sister," said Carlos.

"And you're my little brother," Evie said, petting Carlos like a little brother.

"Y-Yeah," Carlos blushed. "So, it would be really weird if we went out on a date."

"Honestly, I'd consider myself lucky if I did go on a date with you," Evie chaffed playfully. "Have you ever considered looking for a girlfriend of your own?"

"Uh, no, not really," Carlos replied nervously. "I've been, ahem, busy. Besides, I'm terrible at talking to girls."

"Well, then let's consider this night out together as a practice date for you," said Evie. "You can talk to me, right?"

"That's different. You're my best friend," said Carlos.

"I should be offended, but I think I can understand," said Evie. "At least you were brave enough to ask me for a night out with you."

Carlos chuckles nervously and says, "Yeah, I guess."

"Okay, it's settled. Meet me at my dorm at exactly 7 PM. Wear something nice," said Evie. "I'm gonna book us a reservation. Do you like Italian?"

"Who doesn't?" Carlos remarked.

"Awesome," Evie replied. "Thanks for asking, Carlos. We both need this night."

"I don't know about _me_, per se, but I know that _you_ need some time off," said Carlos. "I'm just trying to be a good friend."

"You don't need to try. You are and always will be a good friend," said Evie.

Evie kisses Carlos on the cheek before walking off, preparing to book a reservation for the two of them. Carlos just stands there, stunned. No girl has ever kissed him on the cheek before, not even his own mother (obviously). As he touches the spot on his cheek where Evie kissed him, he blushes. _Why am I heating up_, he asked himself. _It's just a cheek kiss, right?_

**That ends the first chapter. It's short, I know, but this story is meant to be simple. Let me have this, please. I missed this. Just in case you're going to ask, this story is gonna be 7 chapters long. I'm gonna try to update as fast as I can, most likely once every few days.**

**Leave a review and let me know what you think so far. I would appreciate it.**

**But the good stuff will be coming, I promise.**


	2. Oh, What To Wear?

**Well, here's the new chapter. Enjoy. That's all I have to say. Well, that and it's honestly been relaxing to write something simple.**

**Leave a review after reading, please. Feedback is always appreciated.**

**I'd like to thank the following users for reviewing the first chapter: DragonEmperor999, Arbiter8991, Alexjhag, Ss, Robyn**

**_To Alexjhag_: Well, now I just went from relaxed to pressured, just trying to make sure this story has a different tone from Forever Wicked. But hey, that's okay. Thanks for sharing your observation.**

It's 6:30 PM. It's almost time for Evie and Carlos' night out into town. Auradon City, to be specific. Evie is in her dorm now, preparing for this special night. She's expecting Carlos to show up at exactly 7 PM, or at the very least a few seconds before or after that time. Either he's early, on time, or fashionably late. She'll be fine with either. Right now, Evie is focused on making she herself is perfectly prepared for this night. What to wear? What to bring? How much makeup? _Am I overpreparing_, she asked herself.

Watching her prepare is her roommate and best friend Mal, who is just sitting on her bed and failing to concentrate on her spell book because the blue-haired beauty queen is moving back and forth around the room.

Evie quickly goes to the bathroom to get changed into what she plans to wear tonight. She comes out and quickly approaches the purple-haired sorceress to get her opinion.

"So, what do you think of this?" asked Evie.

Evie is wearing a dress that is, to no one's surprise, blue. A dark shade of blue, matching the darkest blue of the night sky. But the material used to make the dress makes it shine like the moon's light is reflecting off of it. It's not the color that Mal is paying attention to, though. Evie's dress is strapless and the skirt stops just halfway down her thighs. Also, the dress looks pretty tight, hugging her waist and hips. And there are diamond-shaped holes in the dress - one on the left waist, one of her right waist, and one on her back.

Mal can only raise and eyebrow at this, appearing befuddled by her best friend's questionable choice of clothing for this night.

"I think the dress needs some stitching," Mal said candidly.

"Oh, no. This is a cut-out dress," Evie explained. "It's supposed to show off some skin and..."

"I'm kidding," Mal interrupted. "Seriously, though, E, why the _revealing_ getup? This isn't a date, right? You and Carlos are just gonna spend time together."

"I know," Evie said with a big smile.

"So, why are you wearing a dress that would make every guy drool so much that they'll flood the entire school?" Mal questioned.

Evie just shrugs, as if she doesn't know what the problem is with her dress.

Mal raises her eyebrow again, smirks, and says, "You want to make him blush, don't you?"

Evie's little smile turns into a mischievous smile. That confirms Mal's guess. The daughter of Maleficent puts on a big grin at the thought of Evie using the dress to mess with their little Carlos.

"We've been living here in Auradon for 3 months and Carlos is the only one who hasn't found a partner or even tried to court a girl," said Evie. "You have Ben. I had Doug. Jay isn't afraid to flirt with any pretty girl he sees. But Carlos is missing out. I want to teach him how to spend time with a girl."

"And you think that by dressing like _that_, you're gonna teach him something other than ogle?" Mal questioned. "Aren't you worried he'll fall in love with you?"

"Oh, he won't do that," Evie said confidently. "Sure, maybe I'll affect him one way or another, but he knows what I plan to make this night about."

"Just be careful with yourself and with him," said Mal. "And at least put on a jacket first. Eyes up here and all that stuff, you know. He's just a boy, you know."

"He's not that younger from us," said Evie.

"I know, but he's so fragile when it comes to mind, heart, and eyes," said Mal. "Before you know it, he'll never look at you the same way ever again."

"That's, um, awfully dramatic," Evie commented.

* * *

In Jay and Carlos' dorm, Carlos is trying to pick out which jacket he should wear for his night with Evie. He doesn't have a lot of clothes in his closet, but Evie did say that he should wear something nice for tonight. His choices are the red-black-and-white leather jacket he wore on the Isle of the Lost, a mostly black-and-white jacket made of shinier leather and decorated with silver beads, and a snow white jacket with dalmatian spots.

He might be able to make his choice faster, if his roommate Jay would stop bouncing a Tourney ball off the ball repeatedly.

"Jay, can you stop that?" Carlos asked, annoyed.

"Dude, it's just a friends' night out. You don't have to look like you're trying to impress Evie," said Jay. "Unless you want to impress her, that is."

"I don't want to if I don't have to, but she's expecting me to wear something nice, whatever _nice_ is to her," said Carlos.

"Are you sure this isn't a date?" Jay asked suspiciously.

"I'm the one who asked her, and I wasn't thinking of this as a date," said Carlos. "I just thought that she and I could hang out. It's been, like, forever since we did that."

"I'm just saying. A guy and a girl eating dinner at an Italian restaurant. It spells D-A-T-E, man," said Jay.

"I, uh, guess I have to mention that she's using this night out as an opportunity to teach me how to go on a date," said Carlos.

"Is that so? Well, in that case, let big bro Jay here give you some tips," Jay offered.

"I assume those tips include acting suave, smooth-talk her 'til she blushes, and make eyes at her all night long?" Carlos guessed sarcastically.

"Well, yeah," Jay replied bluntly.

"Jay, I don't know exactly what I'm gonna do with this night. Evie kinda changed the original plan, and now I just want to roll with it and have fun until it's over," said Carlos.

"You sure you don't wanna take advantage of this opportunity like her?" Jay teased. "I'm just sayin'. A date with Evie. Consider yourself lucky."

"Unlike you?" Carlos teased. "The suave and smooth tactic didn't exactly work with her, didn't it?"

"Shut up, man," Jay said, punching Carlos on the shoulder.

"Look, Jay, I just want to spend time with her, plain and simple," said Carlos. "Maybe I'll listen to dating advice, maybe I won't, but we'll see."

Carlos finally picks out something. He goes with the dalmatian-style jacket. The white one with black spots, with a little bit of red ('cause he loves red). He puts it on and walks over to his pet dog Dude.

"Hey, Dude. What do you think?" Carlos asked. "You think Evie will liked it?"

Dude responds with a bark, a head shake, and then taking a nap. Jay tries to resist laughing at his friend.

"I think he hates it," said Jay.

"I'm in trouble," Carlos muttered and facepalmed.

**Carlos can't find anything nice, but Evie is going too far with making this look like a date. What else could go wrong? Well, I'm afraid you'll have to wait until the next chapter for the 7:00 meet-up, Carlos' reaction to Evie's dress, and what Carlos picked to wear. I would update this every day, but I'm just afraid some wouldn't be able to tell that it's been updated. I sometimes purposely wait 2 to 3 days so that it would be clearer that my story has been updated.**

**Leave a review and let me know what you think of this chapter. I would really appreciate it.**


	3. Blushing Red

**When I have too much free time on my hands, I just write. I don't know if updating every day is a good idea or not, but here you go. Enjoy.**

**Leave a review after reading, please. Feedback is always appreciated.**

**I'd like to thank the following user for reviewing the previous chapter: Chinman, Robyn**

6:59 PM. Carlos De Vil is standing right outside Mal and Evie's dorm, ready for this special night. "Special" as in it's the first time in forever that he and Evie get to do something together, just the two of them. Actually, it's been four months, but it feels like forever. Evie has been juggling her homework, her new in-school fashion business, study dates with Doug, and being Mal's personal assistant. Carlos hated to imagine how difficult it must be for her. Yet, in spite all that, Evie always wore that beautiful smile on her face.

And that beautiful smile of hers is what Carlos wanted to see return tonight.

For this night, Carlos chose something a little simpler than his usual choice of clothes. Something he made himself personally (for reasons even he doesn't know). A white jacket with a black stripe that circles around the back. At the pointy end of the stripe is a stylish letter C. "C" for Carlos. _Is it a little too much_, he wondered.

"C'mon, Carlos. Pull yourself together," he said to himself. "It's just a simple hanging out, right? Just two friends eating a perfectly normal dinner together... the two of us... oh, what is wrong with me? It's a practice date and you know it, man. Why is she doing this to me?"

Carlos looks at his phone. It's exactly 7:00 PM right now. That means it's time to knock on the door.

"Okay, just relax. Put up your hand and just gently knock on the door," Carlos said to himself.

Carlos slowly raises his balled-up hand and moves it closer to the door. His hand is shaking a bit. He's still nervous. After gulping due to nervousness, he finally knocks. Three times. He quickly lowers his hand and adjusts his jacket as he waits for someone to answer. He can hear whispering inside, but he ignores it and focuses on looking not too ridiculous for when the door opens.

And the door opens. Standing right in front of the white-haired tech prodigy is the blue-haired narcissist herself. Evie.

Except she's wearing something...

"Wow," Carlos uttered quietly.

The unbuttoned leather jacket that Evie is wearing is doing little to cover what's underneath. The dress she chose for this night, it's what he expected and didn't expect her to wear tonight. Evie bats a few eyelashes and smirks at him as she sneakily turns left and right. Carlos blushes as he tries to keep his eyes directed at her face, failing to do repeatedly. He knows Evie loves to show off, whether in her school uniform or anything else she wars, but this is taking showing off to a whole new level. Carlos scratches the back of his neck as he constantly looks up at Evie's smirk and down at her dress.

"Eyes up here, Carlos," Evie said.

"Um... I know... it's just... whoa," Carlos replied.

"Too much?" Evie asked, still smirking.

"That's what I wanted to ask you... a-a-ab-about what I'm wearing, to be specific," said Carlos.

"Well, it's not impressive, but it's nice," Evie critiqued. "I like it."

Carlos smiles a little and says, "Whew."

"What about me? What do you think?" Evie said, showing off the dress again.

"Um... it's... it's, uh, it-i-it-it's," Carlos stuttered, failing to respond.

Mal facepalms in the background, feeling amused and embarrassed of the younger VK. _He's pathetic_, she thought. Evie was starting to look a little nervous, possible regretting trying to pull of this stunt.

"You look... you look absolutely wonderful," Carlos answered finally.

"You really think so?" asked Evie.

"Well, what else do you want me to say? Beautiful? Gorgeous? Amazing? 'Cause there's only so many synonyms I can think of," Carlos replied.

"I guess we can scratch compliments off the list," said Evie.

"But did you really have to choose... that?" Carlos asked.

"A girl can wear whatever she wants," Evie stated.

"Okay, you two. I've seen enough to make my eyes hurt," Mal interrupted. "Ben is waiting outside with the limo to take you two to your date..."

"It's not a date," Evie and Carlos said at the same time.

Evie and Carlos look at each other, surprised that they thought of and said the same thing. They just smiled and laughed it off. Mal rolls her eyes as she pushes Evie out the door. _Oh my freakin' God_, she cursed internally.

* * *

Mal, Evie, and Carlos head outside the school, where Ben is waiting right beside the royal limousine. Ben was kind enough to accept Evie's request to borrow the limo for this night out into town. _Much better than planning to steal it_, Evie thought. The limo. Another reminder of how their new life started. Just sitting in there, eating all the free candy and chocolates. Oh, how Evie loved the blue lollipops.

"I made sure there are some appetizers in the back," said Ben. "Chocolate with nuts and blue lollipops."

"How sweet of you, Bennyboo," said Mal.

"Thanks, Ben," said Evie. "This means a lot to me and Carlos."

"Hey, all you had to do was ask," said Ben. "Now, go on. I gave the driver the location. Just be back before midnight."

"What'll happen if we're late? Are we gonna get detention?" Carlos asked.

"No, it's just an exercise," said Ben. "But seriously, have fun."

"Not too much fun, though," Mal teased.

"Oh, God," Carlos reacted, mildly annoyed.

"Well, who says dinner has to be the only thing on our agenda tonight?" Evie said. "A little extra fun won't hurt."

"Depends on what type of fun it is," said Carlos.

"We'll talk about in the restaurant. Our reservation is in twenty-four minutes and thirty-five seconds," said Evie.

Carlos politely opens the door for Evie, along with a little bowing and the gentleman's hand. Evie smiles as she takes Carlos' hand and enters the limo. Carlos enters afterwards and sits next to Evie as he closes the door. Noticing that Carlos is keeping his distance, Evie scoots closer, making her friend blush again. She wanted to hold his hand, but she decided to save it for next time.

The limo drives away, heading straight for the place where Evie and Carlos have planned to eat dinner. Mal wraps her arm around Ben's as they watch the limo leave the school grounds.

"I think it's really nice of Carlos to do this for Evie," said Ben. "She needs some cheering up after what happened with Doug."

"Is that all you have to say? No comment on that stupid dress she's wearing?" Mal questioned.

"Well, it's... lovely... but it does seem a little too much for a simple night," Ben expressed.

"I wouldn't be surprised if Carlos is as red as a tomato by the time they get home," said Mal.

"Why do you think that?" asked Ben.

"Uh, you did just see what Evie's wearing, right?" Mal pointed out.

**That goshdarn dress. Well, I am the writer and it was my choice, but I am acknowledging through Mal that it's a questionable choice. Then again, Evie wanted to turn this into a practice date to help Carlos. Do you think she's taking it too far? For the next chapter, we're finally going to see how this date is going to go. I just wanted to prepare the characters and myself for the good stuff in this story.**

**Leave a review and let me know what you think of this chapter. I would really appreciate it.**


	4. Blushing Red, Continued

**It's time for the actual not-date. Enjoy.**

**Leave a review after reading, please. Feedback is always appreciated.**

**I'd like to thank the following users for the most recent reviews: Arbiter8991, DragonEmperor999, Chinman, StunZeed, Ss, Robyn**

**_To Ss_: Well, there's dressing to be pretty, and then there's whatever Evie is wearing in this story. Poor Carlos, indeed.**

The limo stops at the largest Italian restaurant in Auradon City. Spaghetto's. On the nose, right? Well, that's because that's the restaurant owner's middle name and he's not ashamed of putting it in big, bright letters in front of his establishment. Just like before they left, Carlos did the gentleman thing and helped Evie out of the car by offering his hand. Evie was quite impressed how easy basic flattery and manners are for Carlos. Of course, the basics aren't gonna be enough for her. She wants this night to be both fun and educational (educational for Carlos, that is).

"Hang on a second," said Evie.

Evie knocks on the driver's window. The limo driver lowers the window halfway. Evie gives the driver a $20 bill.

"You may go back to the castle. We'll get home on our own," said Evie.

"Then why bother with me?" The limo driver asked rudely.

Evie rolls her eyes and says, "Just take the tip and go."

After the limo driver drives away, Evie and Carlos enter the restaurant. Before they could get to the door, Evie holds Carlos' hand. Carlos jumped a little when he felt Evie's fingers wrap around his partially gloved hand. As if the lovely dress she was wearing wasn't enough to make his cheeks burn... but Evie was smiling, not because they have arrived but because of his reaction to her sudden action. He looked so adorable, which made her want to giggle. _We're just holding hands_, she thought. _Why is he overreacting?_

"Um... do we have to hold hands?" Carlos asked. "I, uh, doubt I'm supposed to hold a girl's hand on a first date."

"Perhaps, but this is just practice, remember?" Evie reminded.

"I feel underdressed compared to you," said Carlos.

"I've heard just about every crack against this dress from Mal. You don't have to worry," said Evie.

"Cracks? Like what?" asked Carlos.

"I'm wearing a bathing suit and I'm not even going to the beach. It's so tight, every single movement rips it apart even more. The skirt looks torn off," Evie enumerated nonchalantly. "You know, typical Mal."

Carlos laughed a little.

And then he looked away. Evie is beginning to wonder if Mal may have been right about the dress . It's not like she's never worn anything like this before. Heck, this dress is practically her school uniform, minus the diamond-shaped holes on her waist and back. Is it the dress that's bothering him, or is it something else? He wanted to spend time with her, but did she do something wrong? She wanted to make him blush, to mess with him a little, but something doesn't seem to be right about him. _Maybe a little pressure is required_, she thought.

"Ms. Evie, is it?" A waitress called. "Your table is this way."

"Right on time," Evie replied.

Evie and Carlos follow the waitress to their table, which has been reserved for them. A table right next to a window with very comfy seats. Evie slowly lets go of Carlos' hand as she sits down. Carlos, however, was quick to pull his hand back the second Evie started slipping her fingers off of him. Evie takes off her jacket, folds it, and places it next to her as she sits down. The waitress gives both of them two menus and waits for them to make their orders. Evie peeks over her menu to see that Carlos is covering his face with the menu. It's obviously deliberate. _Time to test him_, Evie decided.

"Carlos," Evie called.

"What is it?" asked Carlos.

"I know you're trying not to look at me," said Evie.

"No, I'm not," Carlos denied.

Evie grabs Carlos' menu and lowers it, forcing him to look at her. Carlos gulps nervously as he tries to stay composed. And fails.

"I'm, uh, trying to order," said Carlos.

"Let's not rush this night," said Evie. "Let's talk. That's what this night is about, right? You and me spending time together? Surely, that involves a little bit of talking. Also, talking is a key part in a date."

"But this is not a date," said Carlos.

"No, but it's for me to teach you how to go on one," said Evie. "It's not that I have no faith in you. It's just that I..."

Evie flips her hair by tossing her head back. It's a well-known method by girls to allure boys. And it's working. Carlos' frozen gaze and the mild red on his cheeks are signs that he's buying it. _Good_, she thought. _For now._

"You can only get so far being a sweet guy, which you are," Evie finished with a very sweet tone.

"Um, well, I just thought... I don't know," Carlos said, lost for words.

"Let's start off simple," said Evie. "I heard you're trying to get as much classes into your schedule. It's as if you don't want any down time, not even recess or lunch."

"Well, I want to learn," said Carlos. "So much stuff to do, so much to read, all here in Auradon. I missed all this on the Isle and I don't wanna miss any of it now. That's why I didn't accept Fairy God Mother's offer of academic acceleration so I can be in the same level with you, Mal, and Jay."

"I suppose I can't criticize you for being so studious and active. You're a potential role model for some students," said Evie.

"Chad?" Carlos guessed sarcastically.

The two friends laugh at this joke... which isn't far from the truth, though.

"But still... a little relaxation time never hurt anyone," said Evie. "After all..."

Suddenly, Evie leans forward, bats her eyelashes at the white-haired boy again, curls her lips into a impish smirk, and talks in a "sweet" tone, saying...

"Girls don't like guys who don't make time for them."

"Uh, we-well, I-I-I don't have a girlfriend yet," Carlos stuttered, visibly affected by the fashionista's expressions.

Evie smiles and says, "_Yet_, being the key term here."

"I'm not even sure if I want to find a girlfriend," said Carlos.

Evie starts twirling her hair with her finger while putting on her best smile. Carlos fake-coughs as he tries to keep his eyes on the menu, only to glance over at Evie from time to time. Timing his glances, Evie winks at him with that grin on her face. Carlos blushes even redder as he hides his face behind the menu. Evie silently giggles. _This is working better than I thought_, she thought.

"Uh, waitress!" Carlos called.

_Shoot_, Evie cursed mentally. _I know this dress is powerful, but there is something here I'm not picking up. What could it be? Maybe more pressure is required._

**~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~ A SPECIAL NIGHT ~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~**

Unfortunately for Carlos, he and Evie have to wait for their meals to be cooked and served. That means it's just him and her with no menus to hide behind. He just looks down at his empty plate and utensils, trying not to look up at his blue-haired friend. _This is so not what I had in mind_, he thought anxiously. Evie's just sitting across him, flipping her hair once every ten seconds. His face is heating up so much, he feels like he's starting to get a fever.

"Uh, Evie, can you, um... s-s-stop that?" Carlos asked.

"Stop what?" Evie asked, pretending not to know as she twirls her hair again.

Carlos raises an eyebrow in confusion. Something about Evie's voice is making him suspicious. _Wait a minute_, he stopped himself. _The revealing dress. The eyelash-batting. The hair-flipping. The hair-twirling. The teasing. Wait, is she..._

"You really wanna play it this way?" Carlos asked, sounding irked.

"Play what in what way?" Evie responded, continuing to act innocent.

"You wore that dress to make me stare and blush," Carlos realized. "If Mal wasn't the most wicked of the VKs, you'd be on top of my list."

"Should I take that as an insult or as a compliment?" Evie replied slyly.

"I am an idiot," Carlos said to himself, disappointed at himself.

Evie grins and chuckles uncontrollably. She's not even upset that he's caught on to her act. She thinks his reaction to finding out is hilarious. Carlos buries his face in his hands as he rethinks about this night.

"Why do you do this to me?" Carlos asked, voice cracking from the need to cry.

"I'm teaching you, remember?" Evie answered.

"This was just supposed to be you and me hanging out like best friends," said Carlos. "And now you're wearing that totally... beautiful... dress... and teasing me with the hair-twirling and the tossing-your-head-back, hair-flipping thing and with those... lovely, sparkling eyes..."

Carlos slaps himself. Evie was batting her eyes at him while he was rambling on about what she's wearing and what she's doing. It worked, much to her delight. She laughs a little as she pats herself on the shoulder, feeling proud of her progress this night. Well, "progress" as in making Carlos feel very shy about looking and talking to her.

"To show a girl a good time, you gotta try to be less distracted with her looks," said Evie.

"And you assumed I would be distracted by your looks?" Carlos questioned.

"Is that an insult against my looks, Carlos?" Evie scolded.

"Uh, no, no, no, no, no! I'm not saying that," Carlos panicked, afraid he said the wrong thing. "I mean, you're-you're beautiful. I mean, I've said that so many times about you, that if I had a dollar every time I did, I could buy you a castle. I mean, you want a castle, right? Wait... no... wrong topic... no... agh!"

Evie resists the urge to laugh and wraps her hand around Carlos', stopping him from stammering. Carlos blushes again as he tries to not pull his hand back just because of what she's doing to him. Things got quiet for a few seconds. Evie drops the teasing smile and puts on a friendly smile.

"I'm sorry," Evie apologized.

"I just thought this night would be about us, just spending quality normal time together," said Carlos. "I mean, I know you want to use this time to teach me about dating, but... why do you do this to me? I mean, I know why, but... why?"

"'Cause you're adorable when you blush," Evie answered.

On cue, Carlos blushed again.

"I guess I'm just... trying to forget my own pain," Evie confessed. "I guess I just wanted to mess with you so that I can feel better. To be honest, I'm still not over Doug. I knew I wanted to come here to spend time with you so I can forget about my breakup with him, but... maybe I went too far. I still love this dress, though."

"You do look lovely in it," Carlos admitted.

"Careful where you stare," Evie teased.

"Isn't that the idea?" Carlos teased back.

Evie giggled and says, "Up until you caught me in my act."

"Here's your order, Ms. Evie," the waitress called.

The waitress serves Evie and Carlos their meals. Carlos ordered spaghetti with meatballs and chocolate milkshake. Evie ordered lasagna and melon shake. Carlos looked eager to dig in. Evie, however, wasn't finished yet. She felt kinda bad making him "suffer" for her own amusement (emphasis on "kinda"). Even though he knew what to expect from her - sorta - he just wanted to spend simple time with her.

"Hey, how do you feel about a moonlight stroll after dinner?" Evie asked.

**This chapter came out on a rough day for me. I was so pressured all day that I was worried it might affect this chapter. But I hope this was still pretty good. It was still pretty fun writing this. I'm trying my best to stay as simple as I can while making sure this is worth reading. (I'm supposed to feel relaxed writing this; why am I so pressured right now?)**

**Leave a review and let me know what you think of this chapter. I would really, really appreciate it.**


	5. Moonlight Stroll

**Time for the moonlight stroll. I couldn't update sooner because I had college stuff to deal with, but here we are. Anyways, read and enjoy. I hope you have as much fun reading as I had writing this.**

**Leave a review after reading, please. Feedback is always appreciated.**

**I'd like to thank the following users for reviewing the previous chapter: DragonEmperor999, Ss, Robyn, Arbiter8991, QuintBrit, GokaiRed11**

**_To Arbiter8991_: Well, in Carlos' defense, Evie messed him up a lot and I guess he was in a mood for a simple dinner.**

**_To QuinBrit_: Thanks. I try, I really do.**

After an awkward dinner, where none of them talked to one another as they ate, Evie and Carlos head to Silver Shield Park, which is located west of Auradon City. Fortunately, there aren't too many people in the park. Just a few kids and adults. That means this stroll will go along peacefully for the both of them. It feels refreshing to be out here in the night. Almost all they've ever known since coming to Auradon is Auradon Prep. To be out in the city and just taking a casual walk in a normal park, it was truly something.

However, Evie's dress captures some attention, from both the kids and grown-ups. A mother covered her 6-year-old son's eyes. A 7-year-old girl asks her parents if they can buy/make her a dress like Evie's. Others just stared, whether with awe, confusion, or - in the case of the young men nearby - attraction.

"You may want to put on your jacket," Carlos whispered to his blue-haired friend.

"It's not even cold," said Evie.

"No, I mean..." Carlos paused and facepalmed. "You don't care. Of course, you don't."

"I'm comfortable with whatever I wear, Carlos," Evie said positively. "I know I appear overdressed, but I don't care. I love it."

"Points for self-awareness," Carlos commented.

"I could wear this dress every day if I wanted to, Carlos," Evie teased. "You would like that, won't you?"

"But my point being, I'm not so blind as to not see how I look to everyone," said Evie. "I just wanted tonight to be special, plain and simple."

"Is that why we're holding hands?" asked Carlos.

Evie and Carlos look down at their interlocked hands. Evie has been holding Carlos' hand since they arrived here at the park and she won't let go. In fact, the main reason Carlos suggested that Evie should put on her jacket is because he was trying to ignore his burning cheeks caused by the feeling of her fingers intertwining with his.

"Boyfriends and girlfriends hold hands, Carlos," said Evie.

"Even on a first date?" Carlos questioned.

"That depends," said Evie. "There are so many factors to consider when it comes to physical contact. In our case, have we known each other long enough to trust each other? To trust you to touch me, to hold me, to know how far to go?"

Carlos grimaced as he looked away. Evie silently giggled. Even though Carlos has caught her red-handed with her flirtatious act, she is still having fun teasing him and he is still blushing.

"Well, the answer is yes," Evie said. "You trust me to hold your hand, and I trust you to be comfortable, more or less."

"You know, you're alluding to the type of touches and contact that a lot of people would consider reckless and despicable from my part," said Carlos.

"And from me, too," said Evie. "Consent goes both ways, Carlos."

"I just don't know how this would help me if I ever do go on a real date," said Carlos. "You and I know each other well. That's the difference. If I ever look for a girlfriend, well, she'd be someone new to me."

"True, but this is about helping you build confidence," said Evie. "True, you have to be gentle when it comes to girls. Talk to them, listen to them, tease them if you want to, but wait until you're both ready for the next phase. Well, that is if the first date goes well... and the second... and the third..."

"Okay, okay, I get," Carlos laughed, embarrassed.

"Carlos, am I doing something wrong?" Evie asked curiously.

"W-What do you mean?" Carlos replied, surprised by the question.

"I put on this dress with clear intentions for you," said Evie. "But instead of the usual hormonal responses in your nervous system that triggers the mantling of your face, I sense there is some other type of stimulation affecting you."

Carlos just stares unblinkingly at Evie.

"Sorry. Science talk," Evie apologized.

"No, I love science talk," said Carlos. "I'm just surprised you would explain the science of blushing on a date."

"Well, I dated Doug. He and I talk science a lot," said Evie. "I doubt any other guy would appreciate that, though."

"Any guy would be stupid not to love that big brain of yours," said Carlos.

"Okay, now you're just pushing it with the compliments," Evie said, flustered.

"No, I mean it," Carlos said honestly.

Evie's smile grows quickly as she lets out a nervous chuckle. This made Carlos chuckle himself, unsure of what's funny or worth a giggle. This moment almost made Evie forget about the blue jacket she still held in her other hand.

"Why have we never talked like this before?" Evie wondered.

"'Cause we were both busy?" Carlos guessed.

"True, but there are other reasons," Evie assumed.

"I'm terrible talking to girls, even you?" Carlos half-joked.

Evie laughs and says, "Far from the truth."

"You give me a lot of credit. I just don't think I deserve it," said Carlos.

"Stop being so dramatic," said Evie.

Evie pokes Carlos on the nose and pinches him on the cheek. Carlos couldn't stop smiling even if he wanted to. Evie's pushing all the right buttons, and he likes it. He looks down to see that he and Evie are still holding hands. When he looked, he felt her fingers tighten around his hand. Another button she's pushing, and he didn't mind.

"So, uh, what's next on our fake-date to-do-list?" Carlos asked awkwardly.

"There is no list," said Evie. "Sure, you can plan where to go to eat and where to go afterwards, but the best kinds of dates are those where there are no checklists."

"So, what does that mean?" asked Carlos.

"Here, hold this," Evie said, handing him her jacket.

Carlos takes Evie's jacket. He looks at it for a few seconds. When he looks back up at Evie, she leans forward and kisses him on the cheek. Carlos freezes as he stares at her once again. His eyes never leave hers. She smiles as she rubs her thumb on the spot she kissed him.

"Uh, isn't it too soon?" Carlos asked, stunned.

"If it were any girl, yes," said Evie. "But I'm not any other girl. You're my Carlos and I'm your Evie."

"That's, uh, vague," Carlos reacted.

"It's meant to be," said Evie.

"What are you trying to do to me now?" Carlos asked.

"Same thing I've been doing all night," Evie smiled. "Just finding other ways to do it."

"And are you expecting us to be normal again after this night?" Carlos questioned.

"Interested?" Evie teased.

"You're my friend," said Carlos.

"And you're mine," said Evie. "Even if this night should mean nothing afterwards, it does mean something. To me, of course. But to you? That's for you to tell me."

"You're not gonna ask me to kiss you on the cheek, are you?" Carlos asked nervously.

"You can if you want," Evie teased amorously.

"No, I'd be crossing boundaries I shouldn't cross," said Carlos.

"Maybe not yet," Evie teased further.

"Okay, you are wicked," Carlos insulted playfully.

"So, I'm a misfit. I'm a flirt," Evie said in a bad girl tone.

"Well, don't break my heart," Carlos joked.

"And make you hurt? Not in a million years," Evie replied.

Carlos covers his face with Evie's jacket, because his cheeks are heating up as if someone shoved his face into an oven. Even uncovers his eyes and wraps her one free arm around him, hugging him. As for her other hand, it remains locked with Carlos' hand.

As seconds pass, the wind was starting to get a little stronger. Reactions from the bystanders show Carlos that it was cool wind, which makes him worry about Evie. Her dress shows off too much skin and offers little to no protection against the dropping temperature of the outdoors.

"Um... it's getting kinda chilly," Carlos noticed.

"I don't care," said Evie. "This is all that matters now"

Despite what she said, Carlos uses his one free hand to drape the blue jacket around Evie's shoulders, offering her some protection from the chilling wind. Evie feels the leather cover her exposed skin from neck to shoulder. This is when Carlos finally hugs her back. The hug is lasting a million times longer than how long an actual hug lasts, but it didn't matter to both of them.

"If this were a real date, this is the best one I've been on," Evie whispered happily.

**Is it hot in here or is it just these two? In all seriousness, I tried to make this chapter as simple and as adorable as I can. I always felt this story would've worked better in the early days of Descendants FanFiction, but here I am writing it now because I wanted to. Freedom from my series (still worth the 2 years, though) makes me feel so much better about this.**

**So, what do you think of this chapter? Leave a review and let me know what you think. I would really appreciate it.**


	6. The End of a Special Night

**Dressing up, check. Dinner, check. Moonlight stroll, check. Evie making Carlos blush, check. There's one more thing left on the checklist to tick off, and it's in this chapter. Enjoy.**

**Leave a review after reading, please. Feedback is always appreciated.**

**I'd like to thank the following users for reviewing the previous chapter: Chinman, Robyn**

Evie and Carlos return to Auradon Prep after spending over an hour at the park. They were enjoying the slightly chilly air and each other's company so much that they felt like sleeping at the park, but they knew their friends would come looking for them. Plus, Evie made a crack about sleeping next to each other on the bench, which made Carlos a little too uncomfortable to entertain.

Carlos walks Evie back to her dorm. She's had her arm wrapped around his arm the whole way back here. Even if it was making him turn red, Carlos didn't mind. Her touch felt gentle and calming.

"Are you sure you don't want to doze under the stars together? We can try the school garden," Evie suggested, still teasing him.

"Last thing we need is oversleeping, Mal and Jay finding us before we wake up, and getting the wrong idea," said Carlos.

"Would it be bad?" Evie teased.

Carlos couldn't resist smiling. That heavenly look in her eyes as she speaks in an alluring tone, he had to admit, actually makes him actually want to star-gaze with her until they fall to sleep.

"Maybe next time," Carlos replied.

"Next time, huh?" Evie raised an eyebrow.

"Well, it depends. Do you have time?" asked Carlos.

"Okay, you're gonna have to work on your tone. Sound more upfront and confident but not too demanding of a next time," Evie advised.

"Sometimes, I forget this was a practice date," Carlos muttered.

"Hey, don't be like that," Evie said, bumping his shoulder playfully.

The fashionista and the dog lover laugh together as they reach the door to Evie's dorm. Evie holds Carlos' hand as she looks at him from the front. The twinkle in her eye and the warmth of her fingers were practically forcing Carlos to smile indefinitely, and he was not resisting. Evie's smile grows as she reads Carlos' eyes. He's clearly blushing under his cheeks, but he was past the point of caring if she's causing it.

"So, this is where the night ends," Evie said softly.

"I guess," said Carlos.

"I had a wonderful time," said Evie.

"Really?" Carlos questioned. "I made things too quiet at dinner. I didn't even give you that pre-sleep star-gazing..."

"Hey, sometimes it's the little things that mean the most," said Evie. "Some talking. Some understanding. Feeling. A _ridiculous_ dress."

"It's not ridiculous," Carlos said honestly. "But you don't need it to get my attention. You've always done it just being you."

"I like to think this dress is exactly me, but... thank you," said Evie.

"For?" asked Carlos.

"Tonight," Evie answered. "I knew I needed this night, and you made sure I didn't take that statement back."

"I needed it, too. Despite the, uh... peculiar stuff," Carlos said, alluding to the dress. "It was nice. Most of it, at least."

"So, there is this one last step before a date officially ends," Evie mentioned. "It's called a goodnight kiss. If the date has gone well or better than well, then don't be afraid to go for it. Consent from both sides is required, of course, but you gotta trust you're ready for it."

"And you think I am?" asked Carlos.

"You showed me a great time, and I trust you," said Evie. "Consider this a practice for your first kiss."

"Isn't this actually gonna be my first kiss?" asked Carlos.

"If so, it's my first, too," Evie added.

"Yeah, I guess," Carlos acknowledged.

"So, are you ready?" Evie asked, wanting to be sure.

Not a word from Carlos. He just looks into Evie's eyes as his lips quiver, clearly feeling nervous about taking that last step. Evie decides to help him by leaning forward very slowly. It's only when she does this that Carlos finally leans forward, very slowly as well. They lean in towards each other closer, until their lips finally found each other. The kiss deepened very slowly, and the two were facilitating to that.

As she holds on to Carlos' hand, Evie's other hand finds its way to Carlos' cheek, pulling him closer. Carlos' free hand suddenly wraps around Evie's waist. When his fingers made contact with her half-exposed back (thanks to the diamond-shaped hole on the back of the dress), she giggled in between kisses. As she kisses him some more, Evie's fingers travel down his jacket and under his shirt, tickling his sides. Carlos pulls away a little as he responds with uncontrollable giggling.

Evie pulls him back and presses their foreheads together. They proceed to giggle, unable to stop doing so. When the giggling did stop, they slowly parted ways, gazing into each other's eyes with blushing smiles. They slowly let go of each other's hands as Evie steps closer to her dorm door.

"Goodnight," said Carlos.

"Goodnight," said Evie.

Evie opens the door. She turns around and smiles at Carlos as she closes the door, ever so slowly.

When the door closed fully, Carlos stood there for a while. He was smiling on the inside and on the outside. All he wanted to spend time with Evie, even if he had to put up with her demands of treating it like a practice date. Despite that, he couldn't complain.

He wanted to knock on the door and say something, but he stopped and just walked back to his dorm.

* * *

Evie listens from the other side of the door, waiting for Carlos to leave. When he does, she leans back on the door. She starts to breath in and out at a very fast rate, almost as if she's hyperventilating. She couldn't help it. There's a warm sensation in her chest that is making her feel... funny. The smile on her face that she couldn't drop even if she wanted to, it made her think about the kiss. It was just a kiss, right? _Then why is my heart making such a big deal out of this_, she wondered.

"So..."

Evie snaps out of it when she hears Mal's voice. The purple-haired sorceress is sitting on her bed, doodling on her sketchpad and looking at her blue-haired friend with that trademark smirk.

"How did it go?" asked Mal.

"It was..." Evie pauses and sighs to relax. "It was wonderful."

"Did he behave himself?" asked Mal.

"It's Carlos. What do you expect?" Evie replied.

"Either that dress is too tight or you're looking... something," Mal said suspiciously.

"You know, if you were listening, you don't have to hide it," Evie guessed.

"A goodnight kiss?" Mal questioned, laughing in between syllables. "As if anyone wants that on a first date."

"Well, I trust him and he trusts me," said Evie. "Plus, it helps him to build confidence."

"And you're not worried at all?" asked Mal. "How intense were you with him? How red was he?"

"Very red," Evie answered.

"And so are you, from the looks of it," Mal noticed.

"First kiss jitters, I guess," Evie said awkwardly.

"And you think you and Carlos can be the same after tonight?" asked Mal.

"What are you implying, M?" Evie questioned.

"You know what, never mind," said Mal. "Let's take about something more important. How do you feel now? Getting over it yet?"

"Getting there," said Evie. "This night was exactly what I needed. All I can think about now is..."

"Carlos?" Mal teased.

"Don't look so smug. I would turn this dress into my school uniform if it means proving it to you," said Evie.

"Wouldn't that violate the school dress code?" Mal wondered jokingly.

Mal and Evie just laugh it off. Evie looks at herself in the mirror. Despite being aware that the dress is "too much," she still loves how it looks on her. Carlos certainly does.

"Just be sure you know what you're doing with him, E," said Mal. "You play with his feelings, you're gonna have to live with the repercussions."

* * *

Carlos returns to his dorm. Jay was asleep, but the TV was on. Dude quickly runs up to Carlos and jumps into his arms. Carlos pets his dog as he sits down on his bed, thinking about the special night he just shared with Evie. When Dude barked, Jay woke up. Seeing that he left the TV on, Jay turns it off. He turns his attention to his roommate.

"'Sup, man," Jay greeted. "How was the date?"

"It wasn't a date," said Carlos.

Dude suddenly starts sniffing his owner's face. He starts licking Carlos' face.

"Man, what did you eat?" Jay wondered.

"We were at an Italian place, okay," said Carlos. "It's just spaghetti and..."

Carlos gently asks Dude to stop licking his face. Carlos wipes the dog saliva off his mouth and nose. However, he tastes something on his lips, and it's not Dude's spit.

"Apple?" Carlos finished, surprised.

"Apple? On your lips?" Jay asked.

Jay suddenly realized what this meant.

"Oh, dude. Oh, man. Congratulations," Jay said half-sarcastically. "So, first kiss with Evie, huh? You beat me to it."

"It's not a contest, Jay," said Carlos. "And what makes you think Evie and I kissed?"

"Everyone from here to the Isle knows Evie's favorite flavor of lip gloss is apple," said Jay. "Or are you gonna tell me that it's Dude's spit tastes like apple?"

Carlos sighs in defeat.

"It was just practice, Jay," Carlos said defensively. "It means nothing, really."

"Maybe nothing to her, but to you?" Jay questioned teasingly.

"You are making way too big of a deal of this," Carlos criticized.

"Hey, I'm calling it as I see it," said Jay. "And you're the one who was making a big deal of this from the start. If it's not a date, then why do you keep acting all nervous, shaky, and defensive?"

"Dude, be honest. Do you really see me and Evie as a thing?" Carlos asked with a glare.

"Well..." Jay hesitated teasingly, hinting at an insult towards the white-haired boy.

"Exactly why you shouldn't read too much into this," said Carlos.

"Okay, okay, if you say so," Jay said, unconvinced. "Anyway, goodnight."

Jay lies down and goes back to sleep.

Carlos sets Dude down next to his pillow as he waits for the dog to go to sleep. As for himself, Carlos didn't feel like sleeping just yet. He has too much in his mind, not to mention he's still feeling a bit hot on the inside. And no, it's not because he's feeling sick. It's about his night out with Evie and the kiss they shared earlier. He can still taste the apple on his lips... with a little bit of dog spit, but mostly the apple.

"Dude, do you think this night meant something more than just what Evie and I wanted?" Carlos asked his canine companion. "Maybe I do feel something, but should I make a big deal out of this? Do I tell her... something... anything?"

Dude, however, was already asleep. He didn't bark or say anything.

_I love you, buddy, but you're not helping_, Carlos thought.

**This is not the end of the story yet. There's one more chapter left. I originally wanted to end this story with the goodnight kiss, but I wanted to add something simple and extra to close this story. I'll try to update as fast as I can.**

**So, what did you think of this chapter? Leave a review and let me know what you think. I would really appreciate it.**


	7. Shall We Try Again?

**Welcome to the final chapter of my latest Carvie story. I have nothing else to say, except read and enjoy.**

**Leave a review after reading, please. Feedback is always appreciated.**

**I'd like to thank the following user for reviewing the previous chapter: Chinman, GokaiRed11**

**_To Chinman_: I wasn't really gonna include Doug in the final chapter, but your review has had me re-thinking about this. Hey, might as well, right?**

Evie is standing by her locker, looking at herself in her Magic Mirror. She has been asked by Ben and Fairy God Mother to donate it to the Museum of Cultural History because no magic is allowed in school. She wasn't ready to part with it yet, even though she questions herself why she would feel sentimental about it. Right now, she's just looking at her own face. While that may be the purpose of a mirror, she's looking specifically at her expression, not her beauty. She has a thoughtful look on her face, only to slowly start smiling, just thinking about last night.

"Hey, Evie!"

Evie turns her mirror to see who is behind her. It's just her friend Lonnie, daughter of Mulan. She has this big smile on her face, meaning she must want to talk about something big.

"Congratulations, Evie. You and Carlos, that is," said Lonnie.

"What are you talking about?" asked Evie.

"Your date with Carlos is trending on the internet," said Lonnie.

Lonnie takes out her phone and shows Evie pictures from InstaRoyal and videos from Tweeter, all of them of Evie and Carlos during their time together last night. The dinner at Spaghetto's and the stroll at Silver Shield Park.

"Aw, the way you were teasing him and holding him. And how he blushes when he stares at you. Aw, it's adorable," Lonnie gushed.

"Uh, Lonnie," Evie said, blushing with embarrassment.

"So, how did it go?" asked Lonnie. "Did it go great? Are you two official?"

"Well... there was a goodnight kiss," Evie revealed, feeling slight regret afterwards.

"Oh, my God," Lonnie exclaimed with delight. "Sorry if I'm too loud. It's just, I'm glad to see you look so happy. After Doug, well, we were all worried about you."

"I'm fine, Lonnie," Evie assured. "Just leave this between me and Carlos. I haven't talked to him about yet today."

Lonnie nods as she walks away. Evie now wonders why she didn't deny or protest against Lonnie's belief that it was a real date. _Could it be real to me_, she asked herself. She looks at herself in her Magic Mirror again. Her lips slowly curve into a smile just thinking about last night. "If this were a real date, this is the best one I've been on," she said to him at the park last night. Remembering how she said those words, how sincere and emotional she sounded, these thoughts have remained dominant in her mind since.

Another face shows up on the mirror, right behind Evie. It was her ex-boyfriend, Doug. She can already guess what he wants to talk about. _Trending_, Lonnie said.

Evie turns around and looks at Doug face-to-face. She doesn't want to speak him to him with her back turned. That just tells him that she has hard feelings towards him.

"I, uh, assume Lonnie's told you about your date last night going viral," Doug started.

"Doug, please, don't be like a jealous ex right now," Evie pleaded. "We're over. We agreed to still be friends, but I'd rather not bring up our relationship again. Who I spend my time with, it's my decision."

"I just wanted to ask something simple. Is Carlos why you broke up with me?" Doug asked curiously.

"I broke up with you because I couldn't pretend to keep us together from on my part," said Evie. "I appreciate you trying to talk to me again, but I don't need you to interfere with my choices."

"Uh, o-ok-okay," Doug muttered nervously.

"Doug," Evie called. "Just because we're not together anymore, it doesn't meant I hold any hard feelings towards you. Keep that in mind."

Evie pats Doug on the shoulder before walking away. Doug was now beating himself mentally, wondering why he bothered. It was nice to talk to her again, but now he feels kinda embarrassed to even ask her about Carlos.

* * *

Later that morning, Evie heads to the Tourney field. There was no one there, except for a white-haired friend of hers and his canine companion. Carlos and Dude are playing tag, or at least it looks like. Carlos is running around while Dude tries to catch him. It's amazing how fast Carlos is on his feet. When the Tourney team decided to have a race to test Jay and Carlos' speed, Carlos won. To say Coach Jenkins was impressed would be putting it mildly.

Carlos accidentally trips himself over, allowing Dude to catch him. Dude hops on Carlos' chest and starts licking his face.

"Okay, okay, Dude. You win," said Carlos.

Carlos picks up Dude just as he notices his blue-haired best friend in the distance. He walks up to her and stops just a few feet from her, looking a bit red as he got closer.

"Hey," Evie greeted.

"Hey," Carlos greeted back.

"I see you two are enjoying yourselves today," said Evie.

"Well, you were the one who said I study too much. A little relaxation won't hurt, and so far it hasn't," said Carlos. "And it's a lot of fun, actually."

"So, I heard that our _date_ went viral," Evie mentioned.

"Yeah, I already got Chad laughing at me," said Carlos. "He thinks you're out of my league."

"Am I?" Evie questioned.

"Is it even a question?" Carlos replied.

"Hey, it doesn't matter if that's true," said Evie. "I would never think of you as beneath me. Never."

Evie cups Carlos' cheek in her hand and rubs it in a very assuring way. Either his cheeks feel hot or it's just the sun. The morning breeze cancels out the sun, so it's probably his face.

"So, I'm guessing you wanted to talk to me about last night," Carlos assumed.

"I haven't changed my mind. It was the best night I've had in a long time," said Evie.

"Yeah, me, too," Carlos admitted.

And it was just smiles for the next twenty seconds. They constantly look away from each other, but only momentarily. Dude was looking back and forth between his owner and his owner's friend, probably confused.

"Hey, I was wondering if, uh, if... maybe... if you wanna... do it again?" Carlos asked nervously. "I mean, hang out, you know? I, uh, i-i-if-if you don't mind that is."

"Actually, that's what I wanted to ask you," said Evie. "I guess you beat me to it."

"Okay, but... I was actually asking if... instead of just hanging out... maybe it could be, um... s-so-some-someth-something," Carlos stuttered.

"You don't need to say more. It's a yes," Evie interrupted with a smile.

"Uh, do you even know what I mean?" asked Carlos.

Evie puts her hand on the back of his head and leans in to give him a kiss on his cheek, which immediately turns red.

"I know exactly what you mean," said Evie.

"Well, uh, th-that's awesome," Carlos smiled.

"What do you say we try again tonight?" Evie suggested. "It's not like we have anything to hide. We're all over the internet, you know."

"Sure, but... I wanna plan it this time," said Carlos. "I-If-If that's okay with you."

"A girl does love it when a guy plans a wonderful date," said Evie. "I'm sure you won't disappoint."

"So, no pressure then?" Carlos hoped with an anxious smile.

"As long as you don't mind the dress I have in mind for tonight," Evie teased. "If you think I was overdressed yesterday, you haven't seen nothing yet."

Evie shoots a bigger smile at Carlos before walking away and leaving him alone with Dude. Carlos dreamily watches her walk away, constantly thinking about last night and how many times she made him melt. Heck, Evie just flipped her hair as she turned around, appearing to be intentionally trying to make him blush again.

"Wait," Carlos called.

Evie stops and looks back at Carlos.

"Uh, before we make a fuss about tonight, how about we, uh, hang out now?" asked Carlos. "I can teach you Tourney, i-i-if you want to learn. I know sports isn't your thing, but... why not try it? Just for fun, you know."

"You know what, Carlos, I'd like that," Evie smiled.

"You really don't mind?" asked Carlos.

"As long as I'm with you, I'm willing to tolerate it," said Evie. "Enjoy it, even."

Carlos puts Dude down as he picks up a couple of nearby Tourney sticks. He tosses one to Evie, who catches it in her hand quite easily. Carlos starts juggling a ball with his Tourney stick, excited to teach Evie how to play the sport and just have fun. He tests her reaction time by gently tapping the ball towards her. Evie manages to hit the ball, sending flying up a few feet in the air. She catches the falling ball in her hand, like juggling an apple.

"Ready to play?" Carlos asked, eager to start.

"Ready as you are," Evie replied.

**THE END**

**Let me say one more time, it really feels good to just relax and write a story as simple as this. Even from the very start of my FanFiction career, I have tried to write big interconnected stories, barely taking the time to write something simple. Despite my early embarrassments (because that's how I feel about my early stories), those are what helped me improve over time. Heck, I'm still improving now. My 7-part series may say something, but for me, I just want to write. Don't we all? Whether it's a passion project or a short story, I just want to do my best.**

**So, what do you think of this final chapter, and the whole story? Leave a review and share your thoughts, if you like. I would really appreciate it.**


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